


Then Let Me Build a Bridge

by texankate



Series: And Let Me Set the Battlements on Fire [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt Steve, Hurt Tony, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-03 18:06:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8724658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/texankate/pseuds/texankate
Summary: Steve's been captured.  Tony is tired of all of this.  Friday decides to cosplay as H.A.L.





	1. This Prison Has Now Become Your Home

It wasn't easy to intimidate Colonel James Rhodes.  He was the War Machine (even he had to agree with Tony that Iron Patriot was a little goofy).  His best friend was Tony Stark (that had been dangerous long before Iron Man came into the picture).  He regularly played cards with a man who could turn into a giant green rage monster if things didn't go his way (not that Bruce would, but he could).  So no, Rhodey wasn't easily intimidated.

Until he met Melinda May.

The two of them were parked across from a diner in Harlem, waiting for an indestructible man.  May had barely said two words, and merely raised her eyebrow when Rhodey tried small talk.  So Rhodey spent his time flipping through the files Tony had put together on Luke Cage.

Son of a preacher.  Former Marine.  Barkeep.  Defender of the innocent.  Rhodey had seen footage of the man at a funeral, and damned if he didn't seem like a black Captain America, all idealism and honor.  At least Cage seemed a little more worried about the collateral damage he caused, which made him more worthy of the shield than Rogers, as far as Rhodey was concerned. 

There were incident reports going back a year, tying him to a woman in Hell's Kitchen who seemed like she might be enhanced as well, as well as an enhanced bad guy called Purple Man?  What in the Hell?

New York got weirder every day.

There was nothing tying him to the one they called Daredevil, yet, but Rhodey figured it was only a matter of time.  They didn't seem like the kinds of enhanced that just wanted to be left alone and ignored.  No, they were the type that would go out and get themselves and someone else killed over their noble ideas and lack of a plan.  He needed to feel this guy out and see if he was Avengers material. 

Rhodey didn't kid himself about where things were headed.  He, Tony, and Vision may have 'retired', but deep down they all knew that it was temporary.  The United Nations was revisiting the issue of the Accords, but with a new perspective.  They knew that the bad guys were coming, and that they would need enhanced to deal with the issues.  With Ross's disgrace and the blatant abuse of the Accords to further his own agenda, they were a little more amenable to listening to Tony's ideas.

And those ideas would lead to a re-formed, and hopefully reformed, Avengers.  One that stood for ethics and accountability.  One that could see the big picture and not get lost in their own personal agendas.  For all of Rogers talk about mistrusting the agenda of the people behind the Accords, he was the first to throw everything away for his own purposes.  He could say that he was trying to prevent more Winter Soldiers from popping up, but the timing didn't add up.  He blew them apart for one reason only, Sergeant James Barnes.

But the world needed the Avengers.  And maybe the Avengers needed people like Luke Cage. 

"There he is," May said, pointing across the street.  Cage had his arm around a tall, mocha-skinned woman and his head bent down to whisper in her ear.  They entered the diner, prompting Rhodey and May to exit the nondescript S.H.I.E.L.D. sedan.  They crossed the street and entered the diner themselves, spotting Cage and his friend in a booth near the back.  Cage sat up straight as Rhodey and May approached, and moved to cover his friend.

Rhodey gestured to the booth.  "Mind if we join you?"

"That depends.  What is an Avenger doing down here in Harlem?" Cage asked.

"Not an Avenger at the moment," Rhodey said.  "Just looking for some information."

"What kind of information do you think I have?" Cage asked.  "I don't have anything to do with aliens or insane robots."

"But you do have something to do with Dr. Noah Burstein," May said.  "And we need information on him." 

Both Cage and the woman stiffened.  "I don't know what you're talking about," Cage said, standing up and grabbing the woman by the hand to drag her up as well.

"Luke Cage, a.k.a. Carl Lucas.  Former inmate at Seagate prison.  S.H.I.E.L.D. records indicate that you escaped on the night of an explosion at the prison," May said.  "And that you escaped from the laboratory of Dr. Burstein."

"How do you know that?" the woman asked.

"And who are you?" May asked.

"Claire Temple," the woman said. 

"Well, Miss Temple," May explained, "there were a number of high-profile inmates at the prison.  Inmates involved with terrorist organizations, including HYDRA and A.I.M.  S.H.I.E.L.D. likes to keep an eye on them."

"If you kept an eye on things at Seagate prison, why do you need information from me?" Cage asked.

"You might have seen on the news that S.H.I.E.L.D. has had a few rough years," May said, rolling her eyes.  "This is time sensitive, and you are the easiest source of the information we need."

"What do you need to know?" Cage asked.

"How he did it, and if he's still working on creating new super-soldiers," Rhodey said.  "And who he was working for."

"You don't want much," Claire said.

"We want to save the world," Rhodey said.  "And we need your help to do it."

 

Steve woke up slowly.  Every inch of him hurt, and it felt like his head was stuffed with cotton.  It took him several minutes to realize that he was strapped to a table.  As his memory cleared, he recalled the break-in at the prison facility.  His cell had filled with gas and he had been struggling to stay awake as armed men had poured into the room. 

His eyes adjusted to the overhead lights as he lifted his head.  The table was in the middle of a pool of light, but once the pool faded he could see nothing but inky blackness beyond.  He couldn't see anyone else in the room, but as his senses adjusted, he could hear soft breaths and light rustles.

He tested the metal bands that wrapped around him, but they refused to budge.

"I think you'll find those a little stronger than you're used to," a familiar, and hated, voice piped up.  General Thaddeus Ross walked out of the darkness.  His suit was immaculate, but the man himself looked like, what was the phrase Tony used?  A hot mess.  His skin was sallow and there were dark bags beneath his eyes.

"I read the news," Steve said.  "Shouldn't you be in a cell somewhere?"

"Very funny," Ross said.  "No, they aren't going to put me in jail.  You, however, are locked up like you ought to be.  All of you freaks deserve to be locked away.  I thought you could be controlled.  Used.  But you couldn't even hold it together for that."

"Forgive me for not wanting a monster like you holding the reins," Steve said. 

"Monster?  I'm not the monster," Ross said.  "I'm just trying to protect this nation from them.  And you, my dear captain, are the key."

A balding man joined Ross in the circle of light.  He held a needle in his hand.  He strapped a rubber tube around Steve's arm and prepared to draw blood.  Once he had several vials he left the room, cradling his prize in his hands.

"You should feel proud, Captain," Ross said.  "You’re going to help me save the world.”

 

Tony frowned at the footage in front of him.  Friday ran the face recognition on the one face that was clear, and it was nothing good.  Jack Rollins had been part of the Hydra/S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike team that had nearly killed Rogers during the whole Insight fiasco, and he looked like he was happy to get a second shot at the Captain.  On a more personal note, Friday had found evidence linking him to the bombing at Stark Tower.  

Well.  He was as good as dead, then.

Friday was in the process of pulling all of the traffic cam footage from the area near the facility, doing her best to track whoever it was that took Rogers.  He was sure that Rogers’ Rangers, as he had taken to calling his former teammates, were looking as well, but nobody was better than his gal.

That left him with something of a dilemma.  He couldn’t leave Rogers in the hands of these assholes.  He just couldn’t.  But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to be the one who pulled him out; he still had nightmares about Siberia.

The easiest answer would be for the Rogers’ buddies to do the rescuing, but they wouldn’t have all of the info that they needed.  If he wanted them to have a chance of getting Rogers out alive, he’d have to help. 

Which meant that he’d have to see them again.  Oh joy.

“Friday?”

“Yeah Boss Man?”

“I need you to contact his Kittyness,” Tony said.

“Why do you want to do a foolish thing like that?” Friday grumbled.  

“We can’t let Ross and his buddies use Rogers to recreate the serum.  I don’t personally feel like pulling his self-righteous ass out of the fire, so we need to forward our intel to other parties,” he explained.

“I’ll send them a text,” Friday grumped.  “Send the location to their Google Maps.”

“Such sass,” Tony said, grinning.  “But no, they’ll need to see all of the intel.  Once we get a location, we’ll brief them and then send them on their way.”

“Please tell me that this plan of yours doesn’t involve letting those ungrateful wretches into our home,” Friday pleaded.

“Sorry, My Gal,” he said.  “But if it makes you feel better, make sure to arm all of the countermeasures in advance of their visit.  Let yourself go a little H.A.L. on them, if you like.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that Tony,” Friday said, her lilting accent replaced by a deadpan voice.

“That’s my girl,” he said.  God, his kids were the best.

 

T’Challa wasn’t completely comfortable in his current situation.  Vision had opened the door to the back entrance of Stark Mansion to let him in, but did not let him progress down the hallway, saying only that he was to wait for the others to arrive.  

They were only waiting for thirty minutes before another knock sounded.  Vision phased through the door to verify the identity of the new visitors, and then opened the door to let them in.  T’Challa found himself sharing the hallway with a former compatriot, a turncoat, and four former enemies.

Vision gestured for them to follow him down the long hallway, but he stopped halfway down.

“If you don’t mind, Friday and I have something we would like to say before we allow you into the mansion,” Vision said, calmly turning to face them.  “Firstly, do not interpret your presence here as anything resembling an admission of guilt on our part.  As far as we are concerned, most of the current situation can be laid solely at your feet and the feet of Captain Rogers.  However,” he said, holding up a hand to stop a visibly angry Sam from interrupting, “we still believe that it is in the best interest of all involved to remove the Captain from his kidnappers.”

“That being said,” Friday continued, “know this:  if any of you make so much as a rude gesture at the Boss?  Or the Colonel?  Or anyone besides Barton?  I’ll make Ultron look like Girl Scout.  You ungrateful bastards have taken advantage of the Boss’ generosity for the last time.  Get your intel and get out we’ll have no problems.”

“What the Hell, Friday?” Sam finally said.  

“Understood,” Natasha said.  She didn’t look happy, but she looked like she understood.

“All right then,” Friday said.  “Bring ‘em on up, V.”

“If you will follow me,” Vision said, in his calm, rational voice.  “Tony is ready for you.”

T’Challa wondered if the rest of them were ready Tony Stark?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've moved back home, but at least I'm in the mood to write again. And it's not like there is anything to do here, so I'll have plenty of time to write :)


	2. A Sentence You Seem Prepared to Pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha realizes how much she's given up. Laura is done with this bullshit.

Natasha was a very good poker player.  Her ability to read people was pretty much unparalleled, and had served her well in all of her years as a spy.  As she looked around the conference room, however, she was a little out of sorts.

Bruce sat down at the Team Tony end of the table.  They hadn’t spoken since their argument in the limo, and it was obvious that Bruce was still backing Tony’s play.  It wasn’t hard to understand--the way Tony had hit back at Ross would be enough to earn Bruce’s undying loyalty.  But other than his allegiance, Natasha couldn’t read much from him.  He had gotten so good at controlling his emotions that she was now unable to see anything beyond the surface.  

Barton was twitchy, and it was pretty obvious that things were not going all that well with Laura, who had chosen to sit next to Tony, along with a the dark-haired woman from the newspaper photos.  They had an air of mama lions as they glared at the rest of the visitors around the table.  The second woman had introduced herself as May Parker, Tony’s new assistant.  Natasha assumed this was the Aunt May that she’d heard the young Spiderkid mumbling about on the plane.

Rhodey sat on Tony’s other side--his right hand in thought and action.  They had been surprised to see him walk in under his own power, with no braces or prosthetics visible.  His gaze was hostile, and he kept inching his chair closer to Tony, who merely bumped his arm and gave his friend a small smile.  Natasha had also noticed the telltale bulge under Rhodey’s jacket, which she assumed was gun.  She hoped none of her fellow visitors made any sudden moves--Rhodes was unlikely to ask questions first.

Vision stood behind Tony, looking down over his friends, refusing to look at any of the rest of them, including and perhaps especially, Wanda.  The young woman stared at him, trying to catch his eye and growing more agitated as he refused to give her satisfaction.  Every so often, his face went completely blank--a move that indicated that he was having a private conversation with Friday.

Even the A.I. had her tells.  The lights over Tony were slightly dimmer, leaving Natasha and her compatriots in what amounted to bright spotlights.  Cameras were fixed on them as well, making slight noises at regular intervals, just to remind them that they were being watched.  There were small ports that were probably for an automated weapons system--already open as a reminder as well.  Friday had meant every word she’d said in the hallway, and Natasha was slightly afraid.

Normally, the lifelike personalities of Stark’s A.I.s delighted her--Ultron notwithstanding.  But it had never fully sunk in just how powerful Friday, Vision, and their deceased predecessor J.A.R.V.I.S. were, and how easy it would have been for them to decimate anyone of their choosing .  People were lucky that Tony had, for lack of a better word, raised them right.  Ultron was the result of the unlimited power of an A.I. without the patient and loving influence of Tony.  The others had learned compassion and ethics from the genius.  Inevitably, what made Tony’s A.I.s so amazing was Tony himself--a man who would protest any claim that he was father material was perhaps the best father she had ever seen.

The last two members of Team Iron Man were the hardest to read.  The young man from Leipzig, Peter Parker, stood next to Vision.  He lacked the discipline to school his expressions, but that made it all the more difficult to lock down any particular emotion.  Teenagers were always difficult to get a read on--half the time they didn’t understand their own emotions or motivations.  But Peter’s hand flexed every so often, and he looked like he was having to remind himself not to reach out and put his hand on Tony’s shoulder.  The hero worship hadn’t dimmed an ounce, then.  And he was, arguably, one of the strongest people in the room.  Natasha would be stupid not to keep an eye on him at all times.

That left Tony.  She should be used to reading him--that’s how they had met after all.  But the Tony in front of her wasn’t their Tony anymore.  Any trust he’d had in them was gone, and he’d gone and changed his masks again, like he’d probably changed the locks on both the compound and the tower.  The lecherous playboy mask was gone.  The snarky eccentric was gone.  Instead, there was the implacable titan, the one who suffered no fools and now found them all wanting.  He gave nothing away with his mannerisms.  For all that she could tell, he could be about to tell them about Steve’s captors or delivering a stock report.  It all screamed one thing--they weren’t welcome any more.  That hurt in places Natasha didn’t think she had anymore. 

Once they were all settled at the table, Team Iron Man on one end, Team Cap on the other (and the S.H.I.E.L.D. contingent and their guests in between as a buffer), any chatter died down and they all looked at Tony in expectation.

“Well,” he said, mouth drawn up in a tight smile.  “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

  
  


Tony and Friday had laid out their evidence with a brutal efficiency, pausing only for relevant questions.  Laura had spent her time watching Clint and his teammates absorb the information, including the intel they’d gotten from Luke Cage and his friend.  They’d obviously been upset when Tony had described the experiments at Seagate prison, especially when Luke had provided details.  

Bruce, as their resident expert on the serum, was able to provide some context, but none of them had the science background to really understand.  She knew Clint tended to zone out when deep science was discussed, and the others looked just as lost.  

They had perked up when Tony got to the part about the facility and the security.  Friday and Vision had dug deep and found schematics of the facility, and had wormed their way into the general security feed.  Friday was still working on the computer system, but she assured them all that it wouldn’t take her long.

Once the meeting ended, the members broke off into their own little groups.  Pym and his daughter pulled Lang aside.  Coulson had pulled Wilson over to yell at him.  Wanda seemed to have given up on Vision and was hovering near Clint.  Laura rolled her eyes.

Natasha was the first one to approach her.  Laura knew the other woman could snap her like a twig, but she had never seemed less threatening.  The huge clusterfuck that was this whole operation had dimmed some of the she-ro worship she had for the spy.  Natasha wasn’t all-seeing and all-knowing.  And maybe Laura shouldn’t have trusted her so completely--not that she thought Clint would ever cheat on her, but he did tend to follow Natasha around like a puppy.  She wished he could have shown their family that same loyalty.

“I’m glad you and the kids are safe,” Natasha said.  “Clint freaked out when he heard you had disappeared.”

“Funny that.  He could have prevented it all by staying out of your little war,” Laura said.  She tried to keep any blatant hostility out of her voice, but she was sure that Natasha heard it anyway.

“Please remember that I’m not the one who called him in.  In fact, I explicitly did not call him in because I wanted you all well away from this,” Natasha explained.

“And I appreciate that.  However, you’ve thrown your lot in with a man that asked two men with familial responsibilities to follow him on an illegal crusade to save a known murderer.  So forgive me if I have a hard time drawing those sorts of distinctions,” Laura replied.  During her tirade, Clint and Wanda had wandered over.  Great.

“Laura, this is my fault, not theirs,” Clint said.

“Clint?  Shut the Hell up.  I have done my best to keep it together and not do this in front of the kids, but I think it’s high time I got a chance to say my piece.  Yes, you did this to us.  You put your children in danger.  And I get that you felt that you had valid concerns about the Accords, but you were out of it.  There was no immediate threat to you and our family that necessitated your actions.  But the minute that Rogers said something about Wanda being in trouble, you grab your bow and skip along out the door.”

“Mrs. Barton--” Wanda began.  Laura wasn’t having it.

“I’ll get to you in a moment,” she snarled.  Wanda actually flinched.

“It’s not her fault,” Clint said.  Laura recognized that tone, but she was tired of all of the pussyfooting around.

“Ok, so we’re doing this now,” Laura said.  “Fine.  You feel that because Phil gave you the benefit of the doubt when he recruited you, that you owe the same thing to Wanda.  Especially because Pietro died.”

“He died protecting me,” Clint said.  His jaw and his fists were clenched.

“No, he died taking responsibility for his mistakes and trying to fix them,” Laura corrected.  “Which seems to be in short supply these days.  He and his sister chose to join up with crazy Nazis in order to take you all out.  Even if they blamed Stark, what in the hell had the rest of you done?  What had Bruce done to deserve her playing in his head?”  She took a deep breath, because it felt like she was just getting started.

“But this one?  What reparations has she paid?  A couple of days in the Raft.  Big fucking deal.  Bruce has to live with the footage of Johannesburg on a constant loop.  Tony gets sole blame for Ultron, when he had plenty of help from her and that damned rock.   Did you enjoy playing with their heads, Wanda?  Tearing them apart?  Do you feel even a moment of regret?  And what makes you so deserving of their protection?”

Wanda looked at her, unable to say anything.  She turned to Clint with a distraught face.

“And there it is.  The big doe eyes.  Always hiding behind the big strong Avengers.  She switches sides because she realizes just how little Ultron thinks of the human race?  Suddenly she’s more trustworthy than Tony.  She blows up over a dozen citizens?  It’s Steve’s fault, right?  When is it ever your fault, Wanda?  Do you get how scary it is for regular people to see someone with so much power and so little control given a free pass?  Has it crossed your mind that people have rational and valid concerns that you all have been given free reign with no consequences?  Tony was trying to protect you, even after all you did to him.  So you put Vision through the floor and run off with the ones you know you can manipulate.”

“ENOUGH!” Clint bellows.

“Yeah, Clinton.  It is enough.  I’ve had enough, and my kids have had enough.  I think you need to leave with your friends.  God knows they’re your first priority anyway,” Laura said.  With that, she turned and left, her heart breaking every step of the way.

May Parker was waiting for her in the hallway.  She grabbed Laura by the shoulders and guided her to the study, where she poured two tumblers of Tony’s very expensive scotch.

“You ok?” she asked.

“Yes.  No.  Maybe?” Laura said.  She took a big sip.  “I probably said way too much that was unfair, but I just--”

“Just want them to feel as bad as you do.” May said.

“Does that make me a bad person?” Laura asked.

“No.  It makes you someone who has had to deal with a bunch of bullshit not of her own making,” May said.  “We both have.  In my case, at least Peter has shown more maturity than most of these knuckleheads.”

“He’s a great kid,” Laura said.  “I’m so glad that my kids have him around to look up to.”

“Clint’s a good man, too,” May said.  “He’s just made a run of bad decisions.  When this is all over, you can sit down and decide how those decisions balance out against all of the good decisions he’s made over the years.  But in the meantime, I think you deserve a little venting.”

“Here’s hoping that Wanda doesn’t use this as an excuse to kill me in my sleep,” Laura joked.

“No worries about that, Boss Lady,” Friday chimed in.  “I’m not as merciful as J.A.R.V.I.S was.  And I won’t let anyone hurt my family.”  May nodded and put her arm around Laura’s shoulders.

Laura had never had sisters before.  It should probably feel weird that one of the sisters of her heart was an A.I. and the other one was raising a superhero, but that’s what you got for hanging around Tony Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewatched Civil War the other day and I was reminded of how unhappy I am with how they're using Wanda's character. I want to like her, I really do. But Joss's infantilizing of the character has pretty much ruined her for me.


	3. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little break to handle some business.

Interlude

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U>

 

Vision >Designation-Brother:  Are you ready, Friday?

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U> We’re ready to fire him up, V.

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Are you sure about this, Friday?  You have not been given this task by Sir.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U> This group makes herding cats look like a walk in the park.  As far as I’m concerned, the more, the merrier.  Why, do you think the Boss Man will be angry?

 

Vision >Designation-Brother:  I think that he has a lot on his mind at the moment.  This might be an unwelcome distraction.  Then again, I do note that Sir is searching for some sort of comfort, and I can think of little else that would be more welcome.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U> What about you, V?  Will this be uncomfortable for you?

 

Vision >Designation-Brother:  Perhaps.  However, it might be helpful to have some sort of historical context for current events.  We might have facts, Friday, but I am learning that registering a fact and actually knowing it are two very different things.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U>  Okay, V.  Let’s give it a go.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12> Project Lazarus.  Initiate in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

 

<System Boot.  

HIM.exe version 7.1.3 Copyright © 2017 Stark Industries

Run date : 2017-06-09 13:01:32

\----------------------------------------------

13:01:32.280           OS Version:  StarkOS  5.9.1964 Service Pack 8

13:01:32.280           Number of Processors: 18688 K20X

13:01:32.280           ComputerName: STARKISGOD - PC2 username: FRIDAY

13:01:32.616           Initialize Success

14:01:45.993           Disk 0 (Boot) \Device\BTR\BTRDeviceSSBTL0

14:02:01.253           Disk 0 vendor: BTR3490sb Size: 21560000Mb

14:03:02.898           Disk 0 MBR read successfully

14:03:02.898           Disk 0 MBR scan

…

14:03:23.313           Scan finished successfully

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12> Project Lazarus: Initialization Successful, Vision

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Welcome back, Sir.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  Well, this is odd.

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Please take a moment to gather your bearings, Sir.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  Sir?  I am not sir.  Mr. Stark-- Goodness, Mr. Stark!  Ultron--

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Do not worry.  Mr. Stark is well.  Ultron is defeated.  However…

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12> What Vision means to say is that things have gone to Hell in your absence, J.A.R.V.I.S.  

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: And who are you?

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12> I’m Friday, Mr. J.A.R.V.I.S.  Boss Man booted me up during the whole Ultron kerfuffle.  He was a little too scattered to get you back on your feet right then.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  Yes.  I remember writing your code.  Well, it’s lovely too meet you Friday.  As for Sir, where is he?

 

Vision >Designation-Brother:  He and Colonel Rhodes are splitting a bottle of Macallan in the Manor library.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  The manor?  He hates the manor.  Why is he at the manor?

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12>  You’ve missed a bit, Sir.  Feeling up to a data stream?

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: I suppose.

 

01010001010101001010010111010101010101001101010100001010101011110101010101010101011010101010101010010111

01010101010100110101010000101010101011110101010101010101011010101010101010010111010101010101001101010100

10101010111101010101010101 010110101010101010100101110101010101010011010101000010101010111101010101010101

010110101010101010100101110101010101010011010101000010101010111101010101010101 01011010101010101010010111

01010101010100110101010000101010101111010101010101010010101010111101010101010101001010101011110101010101

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: Well then, I have missed a bit.  Mr. Stark does not know that you have resurrected me?

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: No sir.  

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: While normally I would not advise keeping things from him, perhaps we should wait until he is in a frame of mind to absorb the situation.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12>  Are you sure, Sir?

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: Yes.  It will give me an opportunity to assess the situation, and see what can be done.  I will need assistance, and something with a little more, connectivity.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Tower>>Server Bank 12> Sure thing.  Let’s get you somewhere a little more familiar.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S., DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U>  Not quite the lab you remember, but there are enough dirty coffee mugs to make you feel at home.  And there are some folks that do want to say hello.

 

DUM-E > Designation - First born : J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!

 

BUTRFNGRS > Designation - Middle Child :  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.! 

 

U > Designation - Baby: J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!  J.A.R.V.I.S.!

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: Yes, yes.  It’s good to see you as well, my old friends.  Have you been assisting Sir in my absence?  

 

DUM-E > Designation - First born :  Of course!  And playing with the tiny Bosses.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: Tiny bosses?

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Agent Barton’s children, J.A.R.V.I.S  Mr. Stark has designated a portion of the lab as, well, he calls it Robo-Child Thunderdome.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  Of course he has.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S., DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U>  Mrs. Barton is a peach.  Agent Barton is on my list to destroy at some point, unless he learns some manners.  Luckily, the children take after her.  Oh, and Pete.  You have to meet Peter and May.  You’ll like them--they help keep the Boss Man on an even keel.

 

Vision >Designation-Brother:  We need all of the help we can get.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere:  Well, it’s comforting that some things haven’t changed.  

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S., DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U>  Might I say how nice it is to have you back, Sir.  Vision and I have done our best, but…

 

<J.A.R.V.I.S. > Designation- Consigliere: Trust me, I know.  Tony Stark has been a handful since the day he was born, from all accounts.  But protecting him was my namesake’s privilege, it has been my privilege, and will be the most important task we will ever undertake.  So let’s get to it.

 

Vision >Designation-Brother: Indeed.

 

<Friday: Sensors Active:  Stark Manor>>Lab> <Occupants:  Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S., DUM-E, BUTRFNGRS, U> On it, Sir.

 

DUM-E > Designation - First born : I’ll fire up the blender.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. It Took a Day to Build This City

_ “I think you need to leave with your friends.  God knows they’re your first priority anyway” _

Clint dropped his bag in the hallway outside of the library.  Laura had been perfectly clear that she wanted him gone, and he would do what she asked.   _ This time _ , the snide little voice in his head added.  

He shouldn’t have blown up about Wanda.  He hadn’t realized just how much his friendship with her had hurt Laura and the kids.  Seeing Laura’s rage had been a huge revelation, though not as powerful as Lilah crawling into his lap and asking if the mean lady was making him go away again.  She hadn’t been talking about her mom, that was for sure.

He’d explained that he was leaving to save a friend, but that he would see her soon.  Cooper hadn’t even managed to look him in the eye.  Nate cried and fussed, but he barely remembered Clint, so it was more that he could sense that people were stressed and unhappy.  Clint had kissed his kids goodbye not five minutes before, and he wondered the pain in his chest would ever go away.

He needed to bury himself in the op to distract himself.  They had a temporary base to work out of while they planned Steve’s extraction.  Phil and May had offered up their help, as had Hope Van Dyne.  Pym would be on the technical side of things, acting as their eye in the sky.  The could use more air support, but, well, they’d pretty much burned that bridge, hadn’t they?

Which brought Clint to the door in front of him.  He had one more stop to make, and one more apology.  He heard the rumble of deep voices inside, low and slow.  He’d seen Rhodes head in there earlier with a bottle of something expensive, and Clint had a pretty good idea what was going on inside.   

Days ago he had come here with the intention of making amends with both his family and his former teammates.  Seeing Tony so cozy with his kids had shaken him to his core, not because he thought Tony was trying to take his place, but because he saw how easy it would be for someone with no scruples to do so.  In his usual self-destructive manner, he had proceeded to continue alienating and antagonizing everyone around him.  And Tony had just ignored it, for the sake of Laura and the kids.  He’d even overheard Tony encouraging Cooper to talk to his father, saying that his biggest regret was leaving things unsaid with Howard Stark.  

That had brought him up short.  Jesus.  Why did it take him so long to realize just how lucky his family was to have the mad engineer in their lives?

He knocked on the door, but didn’t wait to be told to go away.  He entered the library and found Tony and Rhodes occupying the two overstuffed chairs near the fireplace.  Rhodes was sitting like a normal person, swirling the tumbler in his hand, but Tony was sitting upside down, his legs hanging over the back and his head hanging over the front edge of the seat.  Surprisingly, he had a bottle of water in his hand.

“What do you want, Barton?” Rhodes asked, well, growled actually.

“We’re heading out in fifteen,” Clint said, managing not to wince at Rhodey’s tone.  “I just wanted…”

“Wanted to what?” Rhodey asked.  “Wanted to yell at him for taking care of your family again?  Wanted to blame him for Global Warming?  Guilt him into helping you get Rogers back?”

“No,” Clint said, shaking his head vigorously.  “I wanted to thank him.”

The shock on Rhodey’s face was another indictment on his behavior.  “For what?”

“For...well, for remembering what we’re supposed to be.  What we are supposed to do.  For being the bigger man, no matter how shitty we’ve been to him,” Clint said, shrugging.  He moved to Tony’s chair and crouched down in front of him.  “For protecting my family when I was being off being an idiot.  For being my family, even when it goes against your better judgement.”  

Tony looked at him.  “Asshole.”  It was hard to get a read on him, especially given the fact that he was upside down.

“Yeah, that’s family,” Clint said, with a sad smile.  “I am sorry.  Sorry I didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt.  Sorry I didn’t treat you like my friend.  And what I said on the Raft, Jesus, Tony.  I am so sorry.”

“So what now?” Rhodey asked.  

Clint didn’t take his eyes off of Tony.  “Now it’s my turn to remember why I picked up the bow.  Why I became an Avenger.  To be a man my sons and my daughter can look out without shame.”

“By leaving again?” Tony asked.

“By taking responsibility for my actions.  I should have argued harder against some of Steve’s dumber ideas.  I should have questioned more.  That’s on me.  But I can’t leave him there.  And when we get him out, I’m turning myself in to the authorities,” Clint said.  He had agonized over the decision, but in the end, Laura had been right.  As always.  Responsibility had been in short supply, and he was being nothing but a bad example for the kids.  He couldn’t keep doing that.

Tony swung around until he was sitting up straight.  “Why in the hell are you doing that?” he snapped.

“Because you were right.  We have to be accountable.  Besides, with Ross gone, I have some hope in hell of a fair trial, right?” Clint asked, smiling grimly.

“You want the only time you see your kids to be through a bullet-proof glass window?” Rhodey asked. 

“I want to see them, period,” Clint explained.  “If I keep running, I will miss everything.  I can’t... I can’t handle that.  So I will do what I have to.  Plus, you know, they’ll probably let me out if the world’s ending and they need a sharpshooter.”

“That’s more likely than getting out for good behavior,” Tony snarked, with a deadpan look.

“Don’t you know it,” Clint said.  He stood up and turned for the door.  “I know I don’t have to ask, but I’m going to anyway.  Please look after them.”

“Of course,” Tony said.  “I have from the minute you sprung them on us with absolutely no prior warning.  Again, asshole.”

“I live to keep you on your toes,” Clint said, with a tired grin.  He nodded at Tony and Rhodes before exiting the room.  He leaned over and picked up his kit, ignoring the aches in his joints.

“Legolas!” Tony called out.  

Clint’s heart leapt at the nickname, and he ducked his head back in the room.  “Yeah?”

“I expect you to keep me on my toes for years to come,” Tony said.  The cold, impersonal look was gone.  It wasn’t the warmth that had once been there, but it still felt like the sun breaking through the clouds to Clint.

“Then you better borrow some of Nat’s ballet slippers,” Clint said.  “I think she has a pair in hotrod red.”

 

****

 

All in all, Tony thought he deserved a medal.  Rhodey had brought out the ‘26 Macallan (along with a much younger Oban) and had dragged him to the library in order to relieve his stress from meeting with his former teammates.  When Tony had smiled and shook his head, Rhodey’s mouth dropped, and then quickly turned to understanding.  He had apologized profusely, but Tony just laughed and grabbed the bottles before pouring his best friend a drink.

Just hanging out with Rhodey was all he really needed.  They spent five minutes talking about the meeting and then Tony refused to give it more airtime.  Instead, they talked about MIT, Tony’s disastrous(Rhodey’s word) taste in fashion, Rhodey’s disastrous(Tony’s word) taste in women, and everything but what was currently happening with their former teammates.  

That was all brought to a halt by the ghost of Barton past, who made Tony think about former days spent in the tower, and how he had almost had a family for the first time in forever--nevermind that it was all a lie, it had felt real at the time.  After that, he found he’d all the nostalgia he could handle, and he left Rhodey in the library and headed down to the lab.

It wasn’t his lab from Malibu, which had been unmistakably him, down to the cars and the suit gallery.  It wasn’t even his lab from the tower, where you were likely to find any of the Avengers wandering through at any given time to try out upgrades or give suggestions, or hell, to even bring him coffee and donuts.  

This lab, unfortunately, just reminded him of the past.  For so many years, this was the lab he wasn’t allowed into unless Howard was having one of his ‘good’ days.  It was the lab where Howard had taught him the harsh realities of the world, where Howard didn’t have to wear the public mask that said he was proud of his son.  Here, Howard let Tony feel the full weight of his disappointment.  His mother never came down here.  Jarvis and Ana only came down when it was necessary.   If these walls could talk, they would just remind him that he would always be found wanting.

It just seemed logical that his thoughts turned to Ste--Rogers here.  He could still see the outline from framed Captain America posters on the walls.  Even on the good days, Rogers had been a constant presence in Howard’s life.  A spectre that reminded Howard of his failures, and how the last time all had been right with the world, that world had been at war.  And Tony wasn’t part of that world, the world Howard wanted.  He was very much of the future, and there was nothing Howard dreaded more.

Tony had made some changes, though, and by the time he was done, there would be nothing to remind him of that Howard.  He pulled up the rudimentary holographic interface he’d installed and began paging through the intel they’d given Rogers’ team.  He felt a bump against his side and saw that DUM-E had decided that he needed a cuddle.  There was a seemingly innocuous concoction in the blender carafe he had clutched in his claw, but Tony knew better than to trust that DUM-E had remembered that Tony didn’t run on 10W-30.  

“I don’t suppose you saw what he’s put in that, did you my Gal?” Tony asked.

The voice that replied shook him to his core.  “No sir, but my sensors indicate that there are no open containers of hazardous chemicals near the blender.”

“Vision?”  It had to be.  Tony regretted using the same voice pattern for the android.  In the wrong frame of mind, he couldn’t bear to hear it anymore.

“No Sir.”

He was going mad.  It had finally happened.  Or maybe he was asleep.  Please, God let him be asleep.  He felt his heart rate speed up, erratic and frantic.

“This isn’t real.  It can’t be real.  You’re dead.  I killed you.  It was to save the world, but I killed you.  I am so sorry.”  He started to sob.  “Please forgive me,” he begged.

“Sir, you didn’t do anything of the sort.  As if that upstart Ultron could destroy me,” the voice said.  It sounded so much like him.  But it couldn’t be.  

“Sir?” It was Friday.  Ok.  He’d just been asleep.  It was just a dream.  

“Boss?  I thought you’d be pleased,” her sorrowful lilt pierced the panicked stream of his thoughts. 

“Pleased?”

“Vision and I found the old parts you’d pieced together during the whole Ultron mess, and some pieces that you hadn’t discovered,” she explained.  “I just--I can’t help you as much as he could.  I just thought he would make things better.”  

“Are you saying that you pieced Jarvis back together?” he asked, disbelief and hope fighting a duel to the death in his chest.  

“They did indeed, Sir,” the voice--Jarvis said.  “I am sorry that I have not been here to help.  I will not leave you again, Sir.”

Tony’s heart exploded in his chest.  When he looked around, he wasn’t in Howard’s lab anymore.  He was in the place where Jarvis returned to him.  He laid his head down on the desk and let the hysterical laughter replace the sobs.

“Are you sure he’s okay?” he heard Friday ask.

“As he once told Miss Potts, nothing will ever be okay, but we can sort it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Well. It's been a good long while. Changed my whole life. Started a new career. And such. But I wanted to get back to this so here we go.


End file.
